Shish Barak – Dumplings aus Libanon

Shish Barak – Dumplings from Lebanon

Pane-Bistecca

Shish Barak – dumplings from Lebanon is a traditional Levantine dish and a type of small stuffed pasta that look very similar to tortellini.

They are filled with minced meat, in this case beef, cooked in a spicy yogurt sauce and garnished with garlic adha. This is the ultimate comfort food, and it’s definitely worth the time it takes to prepare.

This recipe is hundreds of years old and is often considered a typical Middle Eastern comfort food. Adha is similar to Indian tarka, with garlic, pine nuts, and spices sautéed in olive oil.

Manti, for example, are very similar to shish barak, but are boiled and then served with yogurt and garlic instead of being prepared in yogurt sauce.

Shish Barak has been part of Levantine cuisine for hundreds of years, with the earliest known written mention dating back to the 15th century. Variations of the dish can be found throughout Central Asia and as far north as Siberia, where it is known as Shush Barak, Joshpara, and Chuchvara, among other names.

This dish is part of Volkermampt’s Culinary World Tour, which is visiting Lebanon this month.

Prep time

50 min

Rest time

1 h

Cooking time

1 h

Portions

50 pieces

Total time

2 h 50 min

Ingredients

Filling:

1 red Onion, chopped
3 Garlic cloves, pressed
500 g ground Beef
½ tsp Cumin Powder
½ tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Paprika
Chili nach Wunsch
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp Pinenuts
½ Bunch Parsley, chopped

Dough:

400 g Flour
3 tbsp Olive Oil
300 ml Water, maybe more or less
½ tsp Salt

Yogurt Sauce:

500 g Natural Yogurt
1 Egg yolk
1 tbsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Salt
some Paprika
Chili

Decoration:

2 tbsp Olive Oil
15 g Butter
5 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp Pinenuts
¼ Bunch Parsley chopped
Chili Flakes
leftover Filling

Instructions

Step 1

For the filling, heat the olive oil in a shallow pan and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the ground beef and brown well. Add the spices and pine nuts and cook thoroughly. Mix in the parsley and let cool.

Step 2

For the dough, mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl with a fork, then add the water, adding more or less depending on the flour. Continue mixing the dough with the fork until it looks crumbly.

Step 3

Now knead the dough by hand on the work surface until it is smooth and not too soft. Cover and leave to rest for 1 hour.

Step 4

Cut the dough into 2 pieces and roll each piece out thinly. Cut out circles approx. 6 cm in diameter using a cookie cutter or glass. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling on each circle.

Step 5

Fold the round in the middle and press the edges together firmly. You will end up with a half-moon shape. Now join the tips together to form a thick Tortelloni.

Step 6

Place the shish barak on a baking tray and spray with oil. Bake in the oven at 180°C for approx. 15-20 minutes until lightly golden.

Step 7

Meanwhile, for the yogurt sauce, purée all the ingredients, then place in a saucepan and heat slowly. Simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Do not boil, otherwise the yogurt will curdle!

Step 8

Now add the baked shish kabab to the yogurt sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. The dough should be soft, like pasta.

Step 9

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and butter in a small saucepan and fry the garlic until crispy. Add the remaining filling, pine nuts, and parsley and fry.

Step 10

Place the shish barak with the yogurt sauce on a large platter and top with the topping. Garnish with a few chili flakes and serve.

Notes

Once shaped, the shish barak can be frozen individually, or after baking. It’s worth making this large batch—which is enough for 4–5 people—even if there are only two of you. You can freeze half of it and have another meal ready to go.

By the way, here’s another Shish Barak recipe, where you can see that they’re similar, but not exactly the same! Every family has its own recipe.